Literature Commentary

     On December 3, 1990 Mary Robinson gave her historical inaugural speech after becoming Ireland’s first female president. Robinson sets the tone by expressing her humbled appreciation for being voted to represent the “new” Ireland. She makes it clear that the new Ireland is going to open up and participate on a global level, unlike its previous intrinsic reputation. Right along with Ireland’s folklore history, Robinson revisits the legend of the spiritually significant Fifth Province. The Fifth Province represents the soul of the Irish community, both residing and emigrated. Mary Robinson urges the community to continue the confident strides toward “self-development and self-expression”. She also rallies the Irish to “play to our strengths,” which she describes as creative arts, education, and pollution-free innovation. As Ireland’s first woman president, Robinson focuses on the importance of a moral Irish culture during a “vital moment in Europe’s history,” she promises to keep the peace with bordering countries, emphasizing “another place close to my heart,” Northern Ireland. Robinson relays importance of Gaelic-Irish culture by reciting quotes from Irish poets like Seamus Heaney, James Joyce, Eavan Boland, and W.B.Yeats.
     Mary Robinson’s speech reflects Ireland’s challenges associated with the turn of the twenty-first century. As Robinson pointed out in her inauguration speech, Ireland was transitioning to a “new” Ireland. One major challenge in Irish history was equal rights for women. Ireland was a late bloomer when it came to equality for women, waiting as late as the 1970’s to officially acknowledge the equality of issues including pay rates, marriage decisions, and protection. Ireland seemed to rapidly change their minds on the issue of women’s equality after being culminated by the 1990 election which made Mary Robinson Ireland’s first female president. Robinson made it clear women were now becoming vital participants in the “new” Ireland when she said, “As a woman, I want women who have felt themselves outside history to be written back into history, in the words of Eavan Boland, ‘finding a voice where they found a vision.’”
Another reflection of Mary Robinson’s speech was Gaelic-Irish cultural values. Much of the inaugural speech sounds like a rally of Irish pride, morality, and growth. For years the Irish were forced to be ashamed of their culture because of the English rule. They were not allowed to speak their language or create Irish literature and arts, which contributed to a blurry definition of Irish culture. Robinson was trying to revive the Gaelic-Irish cultural values when she states, “I want this Presidency to promote the telling of stories — stories of celebration through the arts and stories of conscience and of social justice.” The “new” Ireland Robinson is representing does not want to abandon traditional Gaelic-Irish cultural values, rather develop an open minded approach.
     One major thing I have learned about Irish culture is the rapid change of heart on the issue of woman’s rights. In the matter of 13 years, Ireland went from giving women equal pay, to electing a woman president. Mary Robinson was able to accomplish something that no woman in the United States has been able to do. I credit Ireland for making such a drastic change for the better of their country and culture.

Reading Responses

1. Choose a symbol or image from one of Douglas Hyde’s Selections from The Love Songs of Connacht and discuss how you think it expresses something about Irish cultural traditions, preoccupations, or challenges.

The sea is a symbol for separation of culture in the section My Grief on the Sea. The narrator is grieving as they are on a boat to America leaving their homeland behind. Ireland is an island, so since narrator is writing from the sea, he is on the outside looking in, rather than being apart of his country. He explains how the violent waves, “English rule”, are coming between the love of his soul, “pride for Irish culture”. He hopes that the the sea, “Irish culture”, will awaken and bring relief to the apparent turmoil and separation.

2. Considering what you learned about Irish culture and history in today’s class, why do you think that Hyde’s “The Necessity of De-Anglicising Ireland” had such a powerful effect on his contemporaries?

I believe Hyde’s “The Necessity of De-Anglicising Ireland” had such a powerful effect on his contemporaries because he is challenging the so called proud Irish to remember where they came from. He reminds his countrymen of their history, and he paints a soulless picture of where they are heading if they lose their culture completely. This passage is a cry to the Irish to wake up and resist the Anglo culture that is being forced upon them, because their culture is on its way to being lost.

3. Neil Jordan (the director of Michael Collins) has taken some liberties with historical events.

• He has introduced the armoured machine gun vehicle (or tank) in the scenes depicting the stadium massacre when in fact the Auxiliary soldiers scaled the walls of the stadium and held the spectators there most of the day with their rifles.
• One character, Ned Broy, is a composite of two historical figures Ned Broy, who was a double agent in the police, and Dick McKee, who was Commandant of the Dublin Brigade of the IRA. Broy survived the war, but McKee was tortured and shot.

Does it matter if the facts are not quite right, is the director justified in making such changes in his attempts to inform and entertain?

I personally think it is justified that Neil Jordan did not make the facts straight in order to inform and entertain. I believe he created the tank in the stadium massacre scene to portray the brutal force that the Irish were up against from England. Also, by combining the real characters of Dick McKee and Ned Broy, he simplified the already complex story. To be honest, I am surprised that these two minor details are the only embellished aspects of the movie. I do not think these changes take away from the credibility of the story Neil Jordan is telling.

4. In what ways does the story of Michael Collins (as told here by Neil Jordan) reflect the values of Irish culture, or the qualities of Irish heroism that we discussed in class this week?

Michael Collins’ character strongly reflects the qualities of Irish heroism. First, Collins fiercely fights against English rule with no fear of death and with almost mythic abilities. He escaped many obstacles and continued to recruit followers with passionate speeches. He also wins the love of the only main female character, Kitty, which seems to be a recurring theme of Irish heroism.